Crandon - A 19-month-old toddler lies in an area hospital.Doctors don't believe he will ever be able to live without full-time care.His injuries are because of what a Northwoods caretaker told police he did to the boy."He will never be the same. He will never walk. He will never talk," one of the boy's family members told us.
Brandon Brunette, 29, flung a 19-month-old boy across a room so hard, it broke his skull.That's what Brunette told sheriff's deputies to explain what happened October 18th in Wabeno."I'm angry. Everybody's angry. It's like, what goes through somebody's mind when you think of even hurting a child?" the family member asked.The toddler is in an area hospital with a broken skull, broken leg, and serious brain injuries.Brunette told police he "forcefully flung [the boy] approximately 10 to 15 feet and that he did not stop until [the boy] hit the wall or TV stand.""The child's not in good health," said Forest County District Attorney Chuck Simono.Simono is prosecuting Brunette for three felonies, including attempted murder."For what comes before my office, in five-plus years I've been the prosecutor, I've only seen two cases, this being the second of this severity," he said.Brunette asked for a new judge at his first appearance in Forest County Court on Wednesday.People packed the courtroom in Crandon to support the toddler."He was and amazing, happy child. We loved every second we spent with him. I still continue to love every second with him at that hospital. He's an amazing kid," the family member told us.Now, the family will split time between the courtroom and the hospital with the young boy."I truly believe that this is in God's hands. We have to pray," the family member said.We're still waiting on the next court date for Brunette.